Data on displayProjected new jobs by major occupational group, 2016–26

Allen Chen | October 2017

The economy is expected to add about 11.5 million jobs over the 2016–26 decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nearly half, or 5.7 million, of those projected new jobs are concentrated in 5 of the 22 major occupational groups.

The federal government organizes workers into broad groups of similar occupations using the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification system. As the chart shows, the healthcare practitioners and technical occupations group is projected to add more jobs than is any other group over the 2016–26 decade—more than 1.3 million. Of those, almost one-third (438,100) are expected to be for registered nurses.

New jobs by major occupational group: Numeric change in employment, projected 2016–26

Occupation

Employment change, projected 2016-26

Median annual wage, 2016

Healthcare practitioners and technical

1,336,600

$63,420

Food preparation and serving related

1,232,000

$20,810

Personal care and service

1,227,600

$22,710

Healthcare support

1,019,600

$27,910

Education, training, and library

888,900

$48,000

Management

807,300

$100,790

Business and financial operations

773,800

$66,530

Construction and extraction

747,600

$43,610

Transportation and material moving

634,300

$30,730

Computer and mathematical

607,500

$82,830

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

523,800

$24,700

Sales and related

458,700

$26,590

Installation, maintenance, and repair

388,200

$43,440

Community and social service

371,900

$42,990

Architecture and engineering

194,300

$77,900

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

168,100

$47,190

Protective service

158,200

$38,660

Office and administrative support

149,600

$34,050

Life, physical, and social science

124,800

$63,340

Legal

116,200

$79,650

Farming, fishing, and forestry

-3,500

$23,510

Production

-406,900

$33,130

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Even in the production occupational group, which is projected to lose nearly 407,000 jobs overall, employment gains in some occupations are expected. Together, the five occupations with the most growth in this group are projected to add more than 106,000 jobs from 2016 to 2026.